Afghanistan

Live Q&A: what are the barriers to financial inclusion in fragile states?

On average, just have a bank account, but it is precisely in countries like Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen that having a safe place to save or a reliable method to receive is most important.

Where countries coming out of a long civil war don’t have the infrastructure or strong institutions to offer financial services, what could fill the gap? are increasingly used as alternative to traditional aid by NGOs working in hostile situations, while in places like , more people have a mobile money account than a bank account. Community also have a proven track record. But there’s no one size fits all answer.

So how can financial service providers customise their products to overcome challenges faced in difficult operating environments? What expertise can NGOs, the telecoms industry and policymakers offer around innovative ways to reach the most cut off communities? And how do we measure success in countries where conditions are volatile?